Should have been a kilt jacket...

[MacLowlife]

C McG,


Once again, you are spot on. You might try looking for jackets both under "Dress Mess" and under "Mess Jacket".

I agree with you on the red lapels. I believe the Royal House of Windsor livery includes red lapels, even if I have botched the reference or phrasing. Somewhere there are pics of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Rothesay in jackets with contrasting lapels ( and kilts). Chances are, they would be too polite to observe the faux pas of your wearing such a jacket in their presence. The US Army uses red lapels for certain units and gold ones for others. The US Air Force has/had a solid blue jacket with shawl lapels. Some British units use all red jackets or red jackets with black or green lapels and cuff facings.

Some American jackets delineate rank with braid and/or knots at the cuffs and I believe it would be more polite to remove this, along with any other insignia that might be present.

Not to disparage anybody's clothes, but I find the Spencer/Eton jackets sold new for under $50 to be, well, a little too waiterly, if you will. Better to buy a used one that originally cost a little more, if the choice is available.

[CMcG]

<snip>
I agree with you on the red lapels. I believe the Royal House of Windsor livery includes red lapels, even if I have botched the reference or phrasing. Somewhere there are pics of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Rothesay in jackets with contrasting lapels ( and kilts). Chances are, they would be too polite to observe the faux pas of your wearing such a jacket in their presence.

And there lies the rub... if a mess jacket is too distinctive, even without insignia, one could make a faux-pas? Not that I have any chance of dining with a Duke anytime soon

Here's some royal examples:

<snip>
Not to disparage anybody's clothes, but I find the Spencer/Eton jackets sold new for under $50 to be, well, a little too waiterly, if you will. Better to buy a used one that originally cost a little more, if the choice is available.

Yes, the polyester bumfreezer is usually a waiter's jacket and not optimal. The 100% wool ones marketed as dinner jackets would be a much better choice and can be had cheaply as ex-rentals. I've had some luck finding them for sale on eBay by searching "tuxedo waistcoat" or at my local thrift shop.

[MacLowlife]

Anytime I find myself in the company of Old Regiment types who might recognize my jacket, even without insignia and with new buttons, I reach into my sporran for the Old Standby and attach a little metallic silver decoration to the lapels. Even its own mother wouldn't recognize it when I am finished.

It hasn't failed me yet.